Can construction



May 8, 1934. GQQDWIN 1,957,639

CAN CONSTRUCTION Filed June 25, 1952 INVENTOR Patented May 8, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CAN CONSTRUCTION Benjamin F. Goodwin, Ridgewood, N. J assignor of one-half to Seeman Brothers, 1110., a corporation of New York Application June 25, 1932, Serial No. 619,262

12 Claims. (Cl. 220-72) This invention relates to new and useful impearance which seems to indicate to the observer provements in the construction of cans and that the contents of the can are not in good conbroadly speaking refers to any type of can. In a dition and has caused the rejection of a measurpreferred application of the invention it has esable percentage of cans without any real reason pecial reference to cans containing food products. for this rejection on the grounds of inferior 60 In the ordinary construction of cans to conquality of the food product within the can. It is tain any material the top and bottom walls are further to be clearly understood that my invengenerally rather flexible and this flexibility in tion has been, and can be, applied to cans of any many instances is objectionable and the invention sort, either containing food products or any other herein is designed to particularly stiffen the top products, whether or not the cans are provided 65 and bottom walls of the can for the purposes and with the usual peripheral corrugations above reasons hereinafter mentioned. mentioned. My invention can be applied to cans Heretofore in the construction of cans for the the top and bottom walls of which are otherwise reception of food products and to be sold as perfectly smooth.

canned goods, these cans have preferably, on the It is the object of this invention to avoid this 70 top and bottom walls, been provided with unjustified a abnormal p Which is strengthening ribs or corrugations forming a sedue in some cases to the strain put on the can ries of elevations or depressions arranged in lines by crimping the cover thereon. parallel to each other and to the peripheral edge Further and more specific objects, features and of the can. In other words, in a circular top can advantages will more clearly appear from a con- 75 the strengthening ribs or corrugations would be sideration of the specification hereinafter taken disposed in a circular manner. In a can such as in connection with the accompanying drawing a sardine can, generally oval in shape, the which forms part of the specification and which strengthening ribs or corrugations would be disillustrates a present preferred form of the inposed in an oval manner parallel to each other vention.

and to the outer edge of the can. In the case of In broad general terms the application coma can having a substantially rectangular outline prises the provision to the bottom and/or top the strengthening ribs or corrugations would be of any kind of can of transverse, preferably arcdisposed parallel to each other and to the edge of uate or curved, ribs, grooves, or corrugations the can and, therefore, would be substantially recdisposed preferably transverse to the diameter 85 tangular in shape. It is, of course, well known or major axis of the surface to stiffen the same, that can goods, especially food products, under and in the broad sense without regard to Whether certain detrimental conditions, may deteriorate or not the can has other reinforcement elements and cause the formation of gas which will create disposed on or formed therein.

apressure within the can and will cause abulging To further achieve this object of the inven- 90 of the top or the'bottom wall known as springtion on certain types of food containers, the ining. When this occurs, either merchants, Govvention hereinafter described in detail, broadly ernment inspectors, or consumers who are aware includes the provision of the top or bottom or of the significance of this springing will reject both of the can walls with intersecting ribs, cor- 40 such aproduct. It has been discovered that with rugations, or grooves so that at least some of 95 cans constructed in the ordinary manner with the these reinforcing elements are disposed in a diabove well known types of reinforcement ribs or rection non-parallel to the periphery of the can corrugations that springing of either the top or and intersecting the ordinary and usual reinbottom wall or both may easily occur although forcing ribs or elements as above described. As

the food product within the can is in perfect cona general example of this, an oval sardine can 100 dition. Among other things this particular form provided with the usual oval ribs, corrugations, of springing has been found to be due to the or depressions parallel to the periphery and to fact that the top and bottom Walls, even with the each other is provided with a plurality of deusual reinforcement are too flexible and When the pression ribs or corrugations disposed in a ditop of the can is crimped on by machinery undue rection to intersect the usual reinforcing ribs 105 tension or pressure is exerted on the can which or depressions and may be either straight-line, causes either one or both of these walls to bulge curved or irregular, but preferably they are arcslightly or assume a curved position. This acuate in shape especially where the normal retion in effect, therefore, would cause and has inforcing corrugations are curved and are gencaused the springing or bulging making an aperally disposed in a direction substantially at 110 right angles to the normal elements which they intersect.

It is, of course, to be understood that when I refer to a container for food I mean a closed container either the usual metal can or a jar of glass or other material having a flexible cover. It is apparent that even a glass jar with a metal cover or top containing food might well employ this invention for the cover or top might be caused to bulge unnecessarily by strains in the manner previously described. Therefore, be it understood that the use of the word container in this application covers any container such as a can or jar as long as one wall is of flexible metal which may be strained in the manner above specified.

The preferred form of the invention is shown in thedrawing, of which:

Fig. 1 shows the usual type of can assumedly containing food products in perfect condition and yet preferably because of the crimping of the cover having a curvature in the top and bottom walls which would seemingly indicate deterioration of the contents;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section through the can which has been provided in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the can structure in accordance with this invention.

The can shown in the drawing is a preferred form but is merely illustrative of the idea since the invention may be applied to cans of any shape or cross-section. In the drawing, a can 10 is provided with a top wall 11 and a bottom wall 12 having the usual series of peripheral ribs, grooves, or corrugations, 13 and 14. In the usual construction of the can there may be two or more of these ribs, but it will be noted that they are disposed in a spaced relation on the respective surfaces with regard to each other and are preferably parallel to each other and to the edge or outline of the can. These reinforcing elements are generally formed by die action in the manufacture of the can.

Referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen that these top and bottom walls are shown as curved. This curvature is shown to represent the effect which is produced on ordinary cans in a great many cases where the cover is mechanically crimped onto the can and is caused by the strain put on the can by the crimping action. If cans of this type were sold on the market with high grade food products therein it might be, and are in many cases, rejected because of the springing or bulging without any deterioration having taken place in the products therewithin. Referring to Figs. 2 and 3 it will be noted that in addition to the well known ordinary reinforcing elements there have been provided the auxiliary reinforcing elements 15 and 16 which as shown have been placed on the can in the form of grooves 15 and 16 disposed in a direction to intersect or cross one or more of the ordinary reinforcing elements. In other words, the top and bottom of the can constructed in accordance with my invention has now been provided not only with parallel spaced grooves but with a plurality of intersecting grooves, ribs. or corrugations in the form of can shown in the drawing. The additional reinforcing elements are preferably arcuate in shape, since the ordinary reinforcing elements are curved and they are disposed in a manner and direction transverse to the direction of the ordinary reinforcing ribs. It is to be understood, however, that they may be straightline, arcuate, or curved, or may be disposed in a zig-zag fashion depending upon the necessities and requirements of each case. It will be noted that these intersecting, preferably transverse, reinforcing elements extend substantially across the can to intersect the normal reinforcements but they do not extend beyond or cross the outer corrugations or rib which is disposed next adjacent the edge of the can.

In the preferred form of can, therefore, the auxiliary or intersecting reinforcing elements extend across the can top or bottom up to the outer can reinforcement but do not intersect or cross it.

This invention, therefore, it will be seen provides additional reinforcements in the nature of transverse or intersecting reinforcements which it has been found prevent the abnormal and unnatural springing or bulging due to mechanical crimping so that cans containing high grade food therein will not bulge, although it will not prevent bulging if for any reason the food within the can becomes deteriorated and gas pressure is created. By this simple and efficient means, therefore, the rejection of cans containing high grade food due to seaming and unnatural springing is prevented and a considerable waste of perfectly good products is avoided.

It is to be carefully noted that the transverse grooves or corrugations 15 and 16 can and are intended to be applied as well to the tops and bottoms of cans in the same manner as herein indicated even when the cans have no other corrugations or grooves thereon. It has been found that corrugations of this general type produce a desired stiffening action whether or not other reinforcing elements are disposed on or formed in the can wall.

While the invention has been described in detail and with respect to a present preferred form thereof it is not to be limited to such details and forms since many changes and modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest aspects. Hence it is desired to cover any and all forms and modifications of the invention which may come within the language or scope of any one or more of the appended claims.

What is claimed, is:

1. A construction of container for food products which comprises a Wall member having a plurality of spaced curved, corrugations therein disposed parallel to the periphery of the can, and additional curved corrugations disposed in an arcuate fashion substantially transverse to and intersecting the first mentioned corrugations. 2. A construction of container for food products which includes top and bottom wall members having an oval outline, a plurality of spaced parallel reinforcing ribs or grooves formed in each wall member parallel to the peripheral edge of the can, and an auxiliary reinforcing rib or groove formed in the wall member in a curve substantially intersecting the other reinforcing elements at right angles.

3. A construction of container for food products which includes top and bottom wall members having an oval outline, a plurality of spaced parallel reinforcing ribs or grooves formed in each wall member parallel to the peripheral edge of the can, and an auxiliary reinforcing rib or groove formed in the wall member in a curve substantially intersecting the other reinforcing elements at right angles, said auxilary reinforcing element terminating just short of the outer reinforcing rib or groove.

4. In combination, a sealed, substantially airtight can made of relatively thin metal and used for food products which comprises a wall member having a plurality of spaced corrugations therein disposed parallel to the periphery of the can, and additional corrugations disposed substantially transverse to and crossing at least one of the first mentioned corrugations.

5. In combination, a sealed, substantially airtight can made of relatively thin metal and used for foods products which includes top and bottom wall members having a predetermined outline, a plurality of spaced reinforcing ribs or grooves formed in each wall member parallel to the peripheral edge of the can, and an auxiliary reinforcing rib or groove formed in the wall members in a direction substantially transverse to and crossing at least one of the other reinforcing elements at right angles.

6. In combination, a sealed, substantially airtight can made of relatively thin metal and used for food products which includes top and bottom wall members having a predetermined outline, a plurality of spaced reinforcing ribs or grooves formed in each wall member parallel to the peripheral edge of the can, and an auxiliary reinforcing rib or groove formed in the wall members in a direction substantially transverse to and crossing at least one of the other reinforcing elements at right angles, said auxiliary reinforcing element terminating just short of the outer reinforcing rib or groove.

7. In combination, a sealed, substantially airtight can made of relatively thin metal which comprises a wall member having a strengthening corrugation therein disposed parallel to the periphery of the can, and a continuous auxiliary strengthening corrugation disposed on the wall member and extending from one to another portion of the first named corrugation.

8. In combination, a sealed, substantially airtight can made of relatively thin metal which comprises a wall member having a strengthening corrugation therein disposed parallel to the periphery of the can, and a continuous auxiliary strengthening corrugation disposed on the wall member to extend across said first named corrugation.

9. In combination, a sealed, substantially airtight can made of relatively thin metal which includes top and bottom wall members having a predetermined outline, a reinforcing rib or groove formed in each wall member parallel to the peripheral edge of the can, and a continuous auxiliary reinforcing rib or groove formed in the wall members and extending from one to another portion of the first named rib at substantially right angles.

10. In combination, a sealed, substantially airtight can made of relatively thin metal which includes top and bottom wall members having a predetermined outline, a reinforcing rib or groove formed in each wall member parallel to the peripheral edge of the can, and a continuous auxiliary reinforcing rib or groove formed in the wall members and extending across the first named rib.

11. In combination, a sealed, substantially airtight can made of relatively thin metal and used for food products which comprises a wall member having a plurality of spaced curved, corrugations therein disposed parallel to the periphery of the can, and additional curved corrugations disposed in an arcuate fashion substantially transverse to and intersecting the first mentioned corrugations.

12. In combination, a sealed, substantially airtight can made of relatively thin metal and used for foods which comprises top and bottom wall members having an oval outline, a plurality of spaced parallel reinforcing ribs or grooves formed in each wall member parallel to the peripheral edge of the can, and an auxiliary reinforcing rib or groove formed in the wall member in a curve substantially intersecting the other reinforcing elements at right angles.

BENJAMIN F. GOODWIN. 

